DESIGN & BUILT
A mobile, interactive sculptural installation promoting dialogue on free speech and deep listening.
"Free Reed" is a mobile, interactive sound installation designed and built to create a tangible space for public contemplation and discussion around civic voice and protest. The work is a direct response to recent changes in protest legislation, framed through the rich social history of the Bristol Beacon concert hall.
The sculpture's form and function are deeply intertwined. Fabricated from reclaimed construction pipes, materials of urban infrastructure, it houses a series of "free reeds," the same acoustic mechanism found in harmonicas and accordions. These reeds remain silent until activated, requiring a participant to blow into or pump the pipes, making the act of creating sound a conscious, physical effort.
This interaction is loaded with historical metaphor. The piece draws inspiration from a 1909 protest where two Suffragettes hid inside the hall's pipe organ to disrupt a political speech with cries of "Votes for Women!", a moment when "the pipes had spoken." It also references the modern-day silencing of the Beacon's own pipes by acoustic dampers.
The installation was activated through a 10-day program of free workshops and interventions we developed, which challenged participants to confront critical questions: Whose voices are amplified or silenced? Who really listens? And do we truly hear? "Free Reed" is not merely an object to be viewed; it is an instrument for democratic participation, giving physical form to the fragile mechanics of free speech and the active labor of deep listening.
Location: Bristol
Status: Completed
Funded by Bristol Beacon & the British Arts Council
